“Regarding a potential motive,” Purcell Police Chief David Tompkins said Saturday, “this appears to have been part of a plan to kidnap a person, rape them, torture them, kill them, cut off their head, drain the body of blood, rape the corpse, eat the corpse then dispose of the organs and bones.”

This “appears” to be the case? How many cases similar to this does this police chief see? It seems they know some terribly specific details to have it only “appear.”

Of course, this quote probably falls into the same category as expecting athletes to have something lucid and cogent to say at the end of the game. The police chief’s expertise is crime, not public speaking, so I will give him the benefit of the doubt.

3 Responses to "This appears…"

Although I did think it sounded a bit odd, I chalked it up to the “we don’t have a statement from the suspect at this time” type talk you hear often in police/court dealings. If the guy didn’t fess up to this plan, and there’s no hard evidence (like a diary/conversation) to support the plan, at this time, it’s speculation regarding the plan.

This reminds me when news reporters use “allegedly” after the conviction. I see that one way to often. If the criminal is found guilty I don’t think allegedly is appropriate anymore. Are they really that afraid of a slander suit? Their shouldn’t be any liability since they can just point to the legal court verdict.